The Legend of Zelda: The Grand Throne
by Aiddon Raziel Valentine
Summary: Seven thrones for seven kings....


_Seven thrones for seven kings_

_Beneath the light of the gods_

_Sleeping in their castles_

_Created by none_

_Hoping that nothing_

_May ever sit upon them again_

-Poem found in the works of the Hylian sages. Date unknown

XXXXX

Tome 1: The Village

It was night in the town of Ordon, the countless stars and the full moon casting their elegance upon the land. The sounds of the forest, faint yet audible, resounded through the night. The song of crickets, owls, and frogs made a natural orchestra for the dark. All was peaceful…_was_.

A fox prowling for prey made its way between the trees. He was a bit disgruntled, having not caught anything tonight. He was young though, so it was merely a matter of surprise as most prey wouldn't be able to outrun him as long as he didn't make his presence known. Just then he saw some prime flesh.

A cucco, perhaps one that strayed from the nearby village, was sitting not ten feet from the fox. The white-plumed bird was merely pecking around for seeds and such, not noticing the red fox slowly making his way towards it. The fox was in prime pouncing position if the bird didn't notice it. Unfortunately for the fox though, something very, very surprising happened.

A crackle resounded from nowhere. The cucco, being right next to the odd emission took flight with its wings. The fox, equally as scared, tore through the night as far away as his legs could take him. It didn't stop there though. The phenomenon simply grew more intense with lustrous lights of dusky orange, brilliant red, and violent yellow. Sparks of color and a sound that resembled something ripping through the aether kept becoming more and more incredible.

And then it stopped, with a crouching figure in the middle of it. It would have been hard to discern the figure in the night, its cloak being a dark brown and the rest of its clothes being of equally dark shades of black and gray. The figure stood up slowly, coming to an impressive height that was drastically offset by a thin, willowy frame. Red eyes, a color so brilliant that no normal person could have it, surveyed the area. The somewhat overly-large orbs narrowed in a bored fashion, their owner perhaps a bit disappointed at its surroundings.

"So, this is Hyrule."

XXXXX

The town of Ordon was a fairly sizeable establishment these days. The elders used to talk about when the place was a small ranching community with little more than a handful of houses. Things changed once more people began to notice the place for its fine milk and its well-raised goats and sheep. Things were definitely a bit livelier than they were fifty years ago as the village expanded to several times its previous size (though not quite as big as Kakariko to the east) and accommodated about thirty families. However, a young girl named Venus could have done with the town being a bit smaller as it would have made looking for her brother a lot easier.

Venus was not happy right now. In fact she was so unhappy that little children seemed to flee in terror from her. Her brilliant blue eyes blazing in aggravation and her dirty-blond hair practically standing on end, Venus was like a deadly fairy. Despite being less than five feet tall and not even cracking a hundred pounds, no one seemed to want to make her angrier.

Venus' older brother had apparently gotten into a fight again, this time going three-on-one against Mido's little gang. It had gotten to the point where her brother had taken a large branch and used it as a club. Mido apparently suffered a slight concussion and his two underlings got off with some big bruises. Venus wasn't pleased, even if Mido was a bullying twit. Her mother was even less amused.

Venus finally came to her destination of the ranch as it was usually where her brother went when he knew he caused a ruckus. Making her way up the dirt road, Venus surveyed the area to see if her brother was around. What got her attention immediately was a teenaged girl with brilliant red hair tied into a high ponytail tending to a chestnut-colored draft horse.

"Malon!"

The older girl turned her head, seeing the younger Venus waving from some yards away. Malon grinned, waving back as Venus ran up the field.

"Venus, what brings you here?"

"What else, that idiot brother of mine." Venus was breathing somewhat heavily "Just where is he?"

Malon just sighed. "I see, he did tell me about the incident with Mido. I actually had to tend to the scratches he got from it."

"Pfft, he KNOCKED OUT Mido. Those guys didn't have anything but spit and fists and he goes swingin' around a log like he's some sort've knight."

"Alright, alright," Malon wasn't going to try and calm Venus down "he's at the tree at the north end of the ranch."

"Thanks, but ya might wanna get the salve ready just in case."

Malon just grinned nervously, taking note of the slingshot Venus had in the back-pocket of her trousers.

The tree on the north end was a landmark on the ranch, an impressive oak of old age that had been planted when Ordon was growing decades ago. Its leaves were beginning to take the shades of autumn. And amongst its leaves, lying on a large limb was a white-clad youth with hair the same wheat color as Venus'. Venus immediately circled her hands around her mouth and called out.

"Link!"

The young boy just responded by rolling over.

"Hey! I know you aren't asleep, so you better get your butt down from there mister!" The yell still didn't elicit a response from Link.

Venus fumed, steam practically shooting from her head. Her brother was always so stubborn whenever it came to something like this. Luckily she had ways of dealing with this.

Taking out the slingshot Venus had in her pocket, she took a stone from the ground and loaded it. Aiming carefully, she locked her sights on Link's head.

THWAK!

"What the…?"

THWAK!

"Hey, what's your-!?"

THWAK! THUD!

Needless to say, the last shot had a bigger stone. Link fell about eight feet onto the ground. Venus strolled up, looking down at her older brother who was rubbing the back of his head and glaring at her menacingly.

"I swear to the goddesses, I never should've taught you how to use that damn thing."

"_You_ have bigger things to worry about."

"Tch, what sorta sister thinks she can lecture her big bro-OWOWOWOWOW!"

Growing rapidly impatient with Link's cynical attitude, Venus started tugging one of the wolf fang earrings he wore on his long, pointed ears. Malon, who had just come with a jar of salve and bandages, winced as Venus was about ready to rip the piercing right out of Link's ear.

"IgetitIgetitIgetit, yer pullin' my lug off!" Link covered his ear once Venus let go, thoroughly defeated.

"You know, since you got your ears pierced last May that supposed to mean you're an adult." Venus began her usual lecture "And it seems you don't understand that since time and time again you're always getting into fights with Mido and other kids."

"He was BULLLYING a kid who was five years younger than him!" Link snapped "How do you NOT expect me to do something?"

"Still, you didn't have to knock him out and old man Ingo at the store said if he hadn't intervened you would've broken another guy's arm. Mom isn't happy with you right now ya know."

Link knew where this was going to go in a second so he got up and dusted himself off.

"Malon." he glanced at the red-headed girl "Is Epona saddled?"

"Yes, she's waiting for you near the stables."

"Hey!" Venus did not like being ignored.

"Look, I told Talon I'd help herd the goats. Tell Mom I'll be back in an hour." Link was already strolling back towards the stables, Venus fuming again, though Malon gave the younger girl a reassuring pat on the head.

"I'll make sure he goes back, okay Venus?"

"Fine, but if he doesn't then I really AM ripping one of his piercings out."

Waving Venus good-bye, Malon followed after Link who was next to the chestnut-colored, white-maned mare who stood quite a bit taller than he. Link stroked her mane, as though he knew what she was saying through her whinnies.

"I know, old girl, seems you're the only one who sympathizes with me."

"Only because she's as hotheaded as you." Malon pressed a salve onto Link's earlobe, making him wince.

"Are you gonna start lecturing me too?"

"Unfortunately I don't have the same boundless energy you and Venus have." Malon just sighed and held the swab to Link's still-reddened earlobe.

"Good, because I'm sure I'm gonna get another one when I get back home."

"Just please don't expect me to vouch for you or anything."

"Never thought of it, besides I got goats to herd."

XXXXX

It didn't take Link long to herd all the goats, in fact he did it quicker than expected. It took roughly half an hour as he was already an expert herder by now and he spent the next fifteen minutes telling Talon to get off his butt and do his proper managing of the farm. It was enough to blow off some steam, but Malon still didn't let Link go home by himself. He sighed that she was chaperoning him, but he never expected anything less of the girl.

The two of them strode down the road, the mid-afternoon sun bearing down on the both of them. Link had his hands in his pockets, looking down at the road.

"Link," the boy looked beyond his shaggy locks at Malon "do you mind if I ask you something?"

"What, Malon?"

"Well…why are you restless these days?" Great, another lecture.

"I dunno, it seems everything pisses me off nowadays." he fiddled with one of his earrings.

"Do you not like being here?"

"What makes ya say that?"

Malon stopped, her index finger scratching her chin.

"You never acted like this until you were old enough to go with your father Jeim to the castle-town."

"Really? I used to get into fights all the time."

"But…you never nearly broke someone's arm or gave someone a concussion before."

"Malon," Link, patient as he was with her, was growing a bit weary of this "Just what are you getting at?"

"Do you want to leave the village?"

Link turned his head fully, looking at Malon. The girl had an almost melancholy look in her cerulean eyes, which were gazing down. Link frowned stiffly.

"…Maybe, sometimes I just feel like saddling up Epona and riding outta this joint."

"Would you not come back?" now she was looking directly at him

"C'mon, don't give me that look Malon. Besides, it's not like there's a whole lot in this town anyway."

Link was about to keep walking down the road, but he didn't expect Malon to hook her arm around his own. The young boy stopped, looking at the young girl who turned her eyes away shyly.

"Malon…?" needless to say, Link was very confused.

"Link…I…"

Before either of them could continue any further, a sudden, loud, grunt came from down the road. Both of them turning their heads, they looked upon the biggest wild bullbo they had ever seen plowing down the road at a speed that usually only horses were capable of. Acting swiftly, Link pulled Malon to his body and took a dive to the side of the road, narrowly avoiding the giant bullbo barreling at reckless speed.

"Jeez, what the hell was that?" Link propped himself up on his elbow, looking at the animal heading towards the village.

"Link, is someone riding that?"

Sure enough, there was indeed a large, muscular figure riding on the back of the bullbo. Covering the creature were thick metal plates and it appeared its rider was also covered in chain mail. However, the rider was not Hylian.

"Moblins!" this wasn't good.

Before Link could do anything, he heard more bullbos coming. Looking back, he saw no less than six of the heavy, tusked beasts with each having a Moblin or Bulbin on its back.

"Lookit this, boyos," common with the orkish and porcine creatures, each spoke with a thick accent "we gots ourselves a luverly pair."

"What the hell are beasts like you doing here?"

"That's no' noice, mate." one of the large, intimidating Moblins dismounted its steed "We're joost walkin' 'round lookin' fo' a li'l relaxation."

Link tensed up, seeing the obvious difference between his own size and that of the Moblin who stood not less than a full head above the Hylian boy. Link gritted his teeth, not happy with the presence of something so…big. He could have dealt with the scrawny Bulbins with no trouble, but something as big and powerful as a Moblin was another story. To compound problems, Link wasn't armed and he had to protect Malon.

"Wot, cat got'cha tongue, mate?" the pig-like humanoid cracked a malicious grin.

Link was sweating nervously, his legs were shaking, and his mouth was as dry as a desert. Link, despite his anger, did the only thing he could think of: run. Grabbing Malon and placing her on shi shoulder, Link ran like a bat out of hell towards the ranch.

"Oi! Get back 'ere you li'l wanker!"

Link didn't even think of looking back, knowing all he'd see were angry pursuers after. All he could concentrate on was getting to the ranch and keeping Malon out of danger. Link could hear the hooves of the bullbos gaining, though through some miracle Link was still quite a ways ahead of them.

Finally getting to the ranch's house, Link practically tackled the front door with his free shoulder and slammed it behind him. Putting Malon down as gently as he could, Link's knees gave way and fell to the ground, gasping for air and sweating like mad. Malon, shocked as he was at the whole thing, she kneeled next to him, only to jump back as he slammed the wooden floor.

"Dammit! Why the hell did I run!?" at this point he was practically pummeling the floorboards "God-freaking-dammit!"

"What in sam hill is goin' on here?"

Link looked up, seeing a chubby, mustachioed man with balding, black hair come down the stairs. It was obvious that Link slamming the floor woke him up as he was rubbing his eyes.

"Talon." Link managed to get out.

"Link, just what in tarnation is happenin'?"

The sounds of hooves outside killed any chance of explanation. Dammit, the Moblins and Bulbins had caught up. Rising shakily with his depleted legs, Link saw the mob outside. Link bit his lip, knowing he couldn't run and took a wood-chopping ax and hefted it.

"Talon, I'll distract them, you take Malon out the backdoor and get the hell outta here."

"What the…!? What the hell's a matter with-"

"Just do it!"

Link knew there was little chance of him surviving against several armed Bulbins and Moblins, but there was no way in hell he was letting Malon and Talon get caught up in this. If he could give them some time, they might be able to get to the village or just out of Ordon.

"Link…" Malon was shaking.

"…When I open this door, you get out of here."

Link reached for the doorknob despite his shaking hand. He looked back at Talon who was grabbing his daughter's arm and getting her to the backroom despite her protests. The boy breathed outwardly, as though trying to convince himself to stay calm. However, being calm was not the right thing to do now.

Ending his apprehension, Link swung the door open, ax in hand. Amazingly, he actually managed to catch a nearby Bulbin by surprise. The scrawny creature had been goofing off with a knife and didn't manage to see Link bearing down on him with his ax in mid-swing. The Bulbin hastily dodged, though Link still managed to sink the ax's blade into the Bulbin's thigh substantially. Needless to say, the rest of the Bulbin's companions immediately put their weapons and set their sights on Link.

Link kept his hands on the ax, planting his feet firmly and watching as the Moblins took hold of thick-hafted spears and the Bulbins unsheathed sharp, curved swords. Link swallowed, nervous at having to face five opponents at once. His hands gripped the haft of the ax even tighter, readying for another strike. Link dashed quickly towards another Bulbin, aiming to take out the weaker, smaller creatures first.

Unfortunately, that was brought to an end as a Moblin swept Link's leg out from under him. The force of the swing was so hard that Link was off the ground for a split-second before slamming into the grass. The wind knocked out of him, Link was stunned at a moment that he couldn't afford to be. It gave the mob more than enough time to pin him to the ground and wrestle the ax from his hand. A Moblin sat on Link's back, his great weight preventing the boy from even attempting to get up. Another Moblin took the ax in one hand, hefting it with ease.

"Oi, you alroight, Spiv?"

"GHHAA! That bloody Berk's chopped me leg off, grraa!"

"'Ey now, 'e barely nicked ya. You just ain't been cut in so long ya forgot wot pain feels loik."

"Shut yore traphole, yew snaggle-toothed excuse fo' a 'og!"

The Moblin just rolled his eyes at Spiv and turned his attention to the pinned Link whose arms were planted to the ground by the uninjured Bulbins. Crouching, the Moblin, looked down at Link who was still glaring with blazing, blue eyes.

"That wasn't very noice, mate. Ye could've killed poor ol' Spiv." All he got from Link was a growl "Say ye sorry and we moight just let ye go.

What the Moblin got instead was Link spitting on his face and following a deliciously nasty remark.

"Go to hell you booze-spawned piece of trash!"

The Moblin's temper was lost and he readily heaved the ax, intending to use a full swing. Link closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable.

FWUP FWUP FWUP, THUNK!

Suddenly the Moblin tipped over, slamming into the ground and releasing his hold on the ax. Both Bulbins looked quizzically, their beady red eyes conveying confusion. It was then that they noticed a metallic object firmly jammed in the Moblin's right temple and that his eyes were misted over in death.

"GWaaa! 'E's dead, somethin' killed 'im!"

"Tch, I was aiming for his chest."

Six pairs of eyes then darted to the sound of the voice, seeing a tall figure clad in dark colors about twenty feet away. Though his face was obscured by a the hood of the cloak he wore and a balaclava, a pair of odd red eyes and a head of extremely long, fiery hair were still out in the open. The man just sighed, removing a boomerang similar to previous one from the back of his belt.

"Well, I finally found someone after being stuck in that forest all night. I thought there was a village around here." Link's first impression was now that his savior was some sort idiot.

"Oi! You tangerine-'aired git! We ain't exactly in the mood to listen about yo' sense o' direction!" one of the Bulbins got off Link and brandished his sword.

The cloaked man responded in kind, his hand going to a hilt jutting from over his right shoulder. In a swift motion, the man removed a long, curved sword with a blade a hand wide from his back. The Bulbin was now very nervous, not expecting the man to have a sword nearly as long as he was tall. The man glared, seeing that the Bulbin's courage had swiftly left him.

"What, is that all you're capable of?" the man's eyes mocked the Bulbin' goading him into acting.

The Bulbin merely leapt on instinct, thinking he could outdo the man's swing with a heavier, longer weapon. However, that was the last mistake the Bulbin ever made. The man had swung his blade with eerie speed, cleaving the Bulbin in half. The man examined his sword with disgust, obviously not content with it having been stained by the wretch's blood.

This made the last Bulbins and both Moblins spring to action, forgetting about Link entirely and charging at the newcomer. Link, glad he at least had a distraction, grabbed the ax that had been taken from him and dashed after the mob.

The first to meet the man was one of the Moblins who went in with a powerful thrust of his spear. The man managed to dodge, leaving the Moblin wide open. The man acted swiftly, taking a full swing at the Moblin's chest, laying the creature before ending his life with a swift downward thrust. Link managed to catch the still-standing Moblin by surprise and shove the haft of his ax into the Moblin's back.

Link's opponent swiftly turned around, not glad at having a heavy piece of wood jammed into back. Charging, the Moblin went for a swing with his spear, though he wasn't counting on Link being as swift as he was and also wasn't counting on Link having a swing strong enough to actually send the head of the ax right through chain mail. The Moblin dropped to one knee in agony and the last thing he saw was an ax-head coming down upon him.

"Buuuuuh." the last Bulbin was now scared out of his wits seeing the two bigger, stronger Moblins being slain before his very eyes.

"You got somethin' to say?" Link brandished his ax in a very threatening manner.

That was all the incentive the Bulbin needed to run like mad away from the two men who obviously weren't pleased at the scrawny little thing. The injured Bulbin, Spiv, was already on a bullbo and on his way out when he was joined by his companion. The two scurried away from the farmhouse, shouting curses and threats. Link just shook his head, embarrassed that such cowards had managed to pin him.

"Not exactly the bravest specimens, are they?"

Link's savior was currently crouched over one of the dead Moblins, removing the boomerang from its skull. The man winced at seeing Moblin blood over the weapon's unusually sharp edge.

"If there's one thing I don't like about these things, it's that I have to retrieve them all the time."

"Y'mind if I ask just who you are?"

"Tch, not exactly the exemplary way of thanking your savior." the man put the cleaned boomerang back at his belt "I'm a traveler and I happen to be looking for the next village."

"You must have no sense of direction if you missed the damn thing. It was just down the road."

"It's bloody hard not to be trapped in that maze of trees called a forest. I'm surprised I got out."

Despite his reluctant gratefulness for the assistance, Link knew he had to go to the village to see if anyone was in trouble. Casting aside the ax he borrowed, Link picked up the Bulbin's curved sword. While obviously rusty and chipper, it at least felt a bit less awkward in Link's hand than something he wasn't used to like an ax. Taking a few swings to get the heft of the weapon, Link made his way towards the village.

"I take it there are more of those pig…things." the stranger commented to the walking youth.

"Gee, like that wasn't obvious from the start. You gonna stand there all day or what?"

The man merely shrugged and followed after Link.

XXXXX

Venus was very nervous, looking down into the forest where four big Moblins had escorted her mother. Nibbling her thumb in anxiety, Venus really couldn't think of anything beside what would happen if the Moblins didn't find what they were looking for. After they left, Venus immediately went to Master Orca's forge and woke up the old blacksmith, telling him the situation. Not one to let things go the way they were, the crusty old sword master didn't hesitate to start arming himself.

"Venus, are you going to bite your finger until you hit bone?" the girl jumped, being in a nervous daze until then.

"Yeesh, I didn't think heart attacks could happen at my age."

Despite Orca being old with not a hair on his head and his beard being iron-gray, the blacksmith was powerfully built due to his trade. Standing a head above her brother, Venus always imagined that Orca would be able to crush boulders with his large, weather hands. At his waist was a hammer while on his back was a sword, though perhaps one of his "mistakes" and he didn't use his best works for anything.

"Orca, what do you think those Moblins wanted?"

"I dunno, though it usually doesn't lead to anything good."

"No friggin' kidding."

The two looked back at the road, seeing Link and a black-clad figure approaching, Link having a noticeable mark on his face.

"Yeesh, who gave you that shiner?" Orca stroked his beard.

"Some jackass Moblin who thought smacking people was a good way to ask questions."

Venus, on the other hand, couldn't help but be suspicious of the cloaked figure leaning against a wall. She quirked her brow quizzically, not quite sure what to make of him. Doing so earned her a small tap on the head from Link.

"He saved my butt, so don't glare so hard."

"Tch, I've seen enough strangers to last me for awhile."

"Alright then," Orca crossed his arms "now that we're all situated, we have to act since I'm not keen on having poor ol' Saria in those creatures' hands for much longer."

Nodding agreeably, Link listened as Orca explained what they were to do.

XXXXX

Deep in the woods close to Ordon, Saria walked on a path not traversed upon for quite some time. Behind her were seven Moblins, each of them armed with either a spear or a sword and all four of them were keeping their eyes on the blond-haired woman. She walked nervously, keeping in mind that she was in a very dangerous situation.

Saria was unpleasantly surprised when she saw the porcine figures ride into town upon bullbos. It didn't take long for things to turn bad as all seven of the Moblins ordered Saria, being the active mayor, to escort them into the woods. It wasn't exactly something she wanted to do, but it was better than having a bunch of Moblins run amok in the village.

Apparently the Moblins were looking for something deep within the woods. The only thing Saria could think of was the Sacred Grove, but even she hadn't been in there. Nevertheless, she could at least try and guide the Moblins deep into the forest just to keep them from going nuts in town. If she was lucky she could get away and lose them in the woods. However, she wanted to avoid something that was overly dangerous.

"Oi, woman," one of the Moblins spoke for the first in awhile "do you know where the hell you're goin'?"

"To tell you the truth, even I haven't been very deep into the woods. I'm having trouble enough as it is."

"Tch, then I s'pose you ain't gotta clue 'bout where to foind some wallopin' big temple eitha."

"..Temple?"

Not far from Saria and the Moblins stood Link's small troupe peeking from behind trees. Orca was assessing the situation calmly, stroking his beard while also keeping an eye on Link who looked about ready to rush in blindly swinging that ax around like some idiot. The old man having finished examining the current situation, Orca waved for Link and the black-clad man to come closer.

"Alright now, we have eight big Moblins with Saria taken as a hostage, listen close 'cuz I don't want either of you to do anything on your own."

"Okay."

"Now Link, you've been this deep in with your father, right?"

"Er, once or twice, but I think I can get back on track if something happens."

"Alright, now red-eyes, I want you to grab Saria and get back to the village as fast as you can. Don't look back."

The black-clad man merely nodded and the three men dispersed among the trees towards the Moblins.

Orca started the little offensive, taking hold of rocks on the ground until he came to within throwing distance of the Moblins. Winding up, the old man threw one as hard as he could at a Moblin, rewarded with a satisfying "ping!" as it bounced off a Moblin's helmet.

"Wot the..?"

Thwak!

The Moblin in question readied his spear, and looked around. The others did so as well, as they were now being pelted with rocks from all directions. Getting into formation, all eight of them made a circle to watch for any attacks. It was a bit useless though as the still kept being pelted and the little space between trees made it hard to discern any origins.

"You bloody wankas!"

The Moblin in question made a dash into the forest, only to get a rock bigger than the other thrown right into his face. The Moblin fell like a lamp, clutching his swiftly swelling eye.

"Hey, hog-breath!"

The Moblins turned and saw Link giving a rather rude gesture with his finger and sticking his tongue out. Being known for their pride, two of the Moblins ran after the young boy who had already made a mad dash into the labyrinth of trees. The remaining Moblins yelled, though their warnings fell upon ears that were no longer there as their compatriots had already ran out of earshot.

"Bloody gits." one of them grit his teeth.

"Not as much a git as you."

Just as Orca planned, three of the Moblins looked towards the old man who was just waving cheerfully with a grin on his face. Not as foolish as the other Moblins were, Orca had to revise his strategy a bit as the two lumbering giants came at him with leaping blows. The old man merely made his grin bigger as his two adversaries swung their weapons.

Though well past his prime, Orca had the agility of a man half his age and experience would always make for the best ally in a fight such as this. The Moblins were powerful, stronger than any Hylian could hope to ever be. But that was it. Their blows were fast but lacked any semblance of grace and were of novice skill at best. Orca continued his little dance with the two Moblins, not taking any energy to strike back as he led them deeper into the woods. Feeling that he had gotten deep enough, Orca turned on his heel and ran as fast as he could, zig-zagging between the maze of trees.

XXXXX

The remaining Moblins cursed under their breaths, angry that the others had been dumb enough to be led right into a trap. Not content to leave it at this, one of the Moblins gave Saria a sharp nudge with the butt of his spear.

"Oi, I know you're out there, so get yo' ass out here 'less you want the woman stickered."

Silence went for a few minutes before a light sigh came from the woods and a black-clad figure stepped out from the trees. Not exactly pleased, the man stayed where he was lest the Moblins made any sort of move.

"Tch, only three o' ya, I feel loik a bloody fool bein' tricked by you."

"Likewise I don't exactly feel pleased that things got a bit more complicated." the cloaked man put his hands up as he wasn't exactly relaxed at having a spear ready to pierce the woman.

"Throw that blade o'er 'ere, slowly."

The man took hold of the sword's hilt and tossed it, having wheel in the air for a split-second before embedding its blade into the ground. What he didn't expect is that both Moblin's looked at it with a bit of interest. One of the Moblins raised his brow, his gaze on the sword.

"Oi," he bumped the other Moblin with his elbow "didn't Lord Brogkar say something' 'bout lookin' out fo' a strangea?"

"Yeah, said 'e'd be lookin' loik a travela and wearin' a big ol' blade on his back."

The black-clad man raised his brow under his balaclava, not quite sure as to how someone would already know about his presence in Hyrule.

"You know of me?"

"Yew wouldn't happen to know a man named A…er…, oi, Runk." the Moblin was obviously forgetting something."

"I think the guy's name was Agha-"

The Moblins made a big mistake, because that small distraction allowed two boomerangs to fly and embed themselves in their arms. Not stopping there, the black-clad man grabbed his sword and swung full-force at the two Moblins, breaking their spears in two and making them land on their backs. Before the two could recover, a boot was on one's throat while a sword was at another's and the both of them were looking into a pair of blazing red eyes.

"Tell me, did this man have eyes like mine?" a harsh, grating tone growled from beneath the man's mask, intent on extracting what he could from the Moblins.

"I dunno, we've neva seen the goi, only 'eard of 'im."

"…Tch, useless."

The man stepped off the two Moblins and put his sword on his back once more. The Moblins were at their feet once more, though the red-eyed gaze of their would-be executioner prevented them from doing anything. Reaching to the back of his belt, the man withdrew two of his boomerangs and readied them threateningly.

"I'm giving the two of you until the count of five to get out of my sight. Fail to comply and these will be planted into your skulls." judging by the man's tone, he wasn't one to make hollow threats "One…"

The Moblins were already running by the time the countdown had started and were well out of sight by the time the man had gotten to two.

Saria, who had been standing there the entire time in a petrified daze finally came two as the Moblins had all but vanished, save for the one on the ground that Link had felled. Coming to her senses, Saria evaluated the mysterious figure that had just saved her.

"Thank you."

"Thank that old man and your son." the man took some leaves and cleaned his weapons "I wasn't exactly looking to do anything but grab your hide and get out of here."

"Well ya didn't exactly do that, didja?"

Saria looked at an arriving Link, his breathing labored and his face drenched in sweat. Obviously he had been running quite a marathon if even he was showing signs of exhaustion.

"You look like you had a fun jog. I take it no one was able to follow you?"

"If they're able to NOT go deeper into the forest then they deserve to get out. There's a reason this place is called the Lost Woods." Link set down his ax and turned to Saria "Mom, you're not hurt, are ya."

"Uh, no, but…who exactly is your friend here?" she pointed to her savior.

The black-clad man merely stroked his masked chin and blinked.

"Oh blast, I completely forgot to introduce myself."


End file.
